Connection of pipe is an important function in creating a piping system. Piping systems may be used, for example, for transport of materials, such as fluids and gases. These piping systems may be manufactured of differing materials such as, plastic, iron, copper or other similar materials.
Connection of piping materials can prove to be difficult. Conventional techniques include various crimping technologies that exert tremendous force upon the ends of piping but have a limited effect on providing a leak-free seal. Such connections often include provision of a spool piece inside the inner diameter of piping sections to be joined, wherein the outer piping system is then crimped around the spool piece to provide a mechanical connection.
Although well intentioned, conventional techniques used for creation of piping connections have significant drawbacks. Such significant drawbacks can include inaccurate crimping of the piping system, thereby allowing fluids, such as liquids and gases, to escape from the piping system. An additional significant drawback includes the use of highly specialized tools to prevent significant over crimping of the piping system. The specialized tools can be extremely expensive and cumbersome and cannot be used in tight quarters or in areas of limited accessibility.
To overcome these significant drawbacks, other conventional techniques include soldering and\or welding of pipe sections together may be used. While welding of the individual piping sections is an acceptable technique for providing a proper mechanical connection, the costs associated with welding of the piping system can be extremely high. Thus, when a significant number of welds is to occur in a piping system, such as in a new home placement, or in an industrial setting, the cost of piping insulation can skyrocket leaving the owner of the piping system with little alternative but to pay for expensive mechanical connections.
There is therefore a need to provide a mechanical connection that will connect different sections of a piping system.
There is a further need to provide a mechanical connection that will connect different sections of the piping system in an economical manner.
There is a still further need to provide a mechanical connection that may be installed in a piping system with a minimum of specialty tools.
There is still further need to provide a simple connection for use in a piping system that may be used by installers without the need for special training. There is a further need to provide a simple connection that may be used with pipe or tubing to create piping/tubing systems. There is also a need to provide an arrangement and method of connecting pipe or tubing such that galvanic corrosion is minimized and/or eliminated.